


songs to the moon

by kenmagoesblep



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: (now second years), Canon Compliant, Fluff, Getting Together, Kenma does a minor appearance, KuroTsuki Fluff Week 2018, KuroTsuki Week, M/M, Post-Canon, and so do all the Karasuno first years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-23 18:57:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17085860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenmagoesblep/pseuds/kenmagoesblep
Summary: “Your incessant pining is getting hard to put up with. It pains me to see you like this.” Kenma repeated, without taking his eyes out of his videogame. “Please, do something about it.”And, oh boy, he wished he could follow on that request. Despite being a hopeless romantic, it wasn’t like Kuroo was enjoying his pining time. Back when it all started, during the past year’s summer camp, he had hopes that the crush he developed on the at-the-time Karasuno’s number 11, Tsukishima Kei, would go away with time.---krtsk fluff week day 4: playlist





	songs to the moon

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone!!!!! its so good to be here, i didnt think i'd finish this in time gklsdhglsdkhsdl but i did!!!!!  
> this was made for the kurotsukki fluff week, as said on the summary, as a collab with my good friend [gio! ](https://twitter.com/artthetrash) she made the playlist that i reference in this fic, the link to it will be below!!!! this is my first time writing krtsk, i hope its a good read for everyone!

It was a dreadfully warm day that he could be spending at home, basking in the AC, eating his favorite cold treats and probably starting his assignments, but Kuroo decided to take a quick peek at the yearly summer training camp at Shinzen High instead. If anyone asked, he was there exclusively to see his old team, just for the sake of nostalgia, which wasn’t a complete lie if it wasn’t for the fact that he was hoping to see Karasuno’s team as well.

 

Kenma was kind enough to tell him they’d be there this year again, after he got to know it through Karasuno’s shrimp boy, aware of what Kuroo’s reaction to it would be. The subtle but ever expressive eye roll Kenma gave him, alongside a resigned sigh, proved his point.

 

“Your incessant pining is getting hard to put up with. It pains me to see you like this.” Kenma repeated, without taking his eyes out of his videogame. _“Please,_ do something about it.”

 

And, oh boy, he wished he could follow on that request. Despite being a hopeless romantic, it wasn’t like Kuroo was enjoying his pining time. Back when it all started, during the past year’s summer camp, he had hopes that the crush he developed on the at-the-time Karasuno’s number 11, Tsukishima Kei, would go away with time.

 

It was an educated guess, really. They didn’t see each other often (if at all) and didn’t chat much or at all most of the times they did meet, so, eventually, the lack of Tsukishima in his daily life would ease him out of this. And yet, Kuroo’s overwhelming fondness towards him never faded.

 

At that point in time, he doubted it ever would. If such sentiment survived on Kuroo’s unbearable romantic spirit alone, nothing could stop him other than a word-by-word rejection. So he decided to indulge himself on it that time, get a chance to see him in person for the first time in months, on board with whatever happened: be it getting to exchange a few words or be completely ignored by Tsukishima.

 

Upon arriving, people were as excited to see him as he was to see all of them. It took his old team a while to notice him standing there, sitting next to the coaches, watching them play from the sidelines for the first time in a long time. It was a weird, yet fun experience. But when they did, those who did recognize him bounced his way, his loud underclassmen screaming nonsense at him before assaulting him with bone-crushing hugs. The other teams noticed the commotion in no time, and soon enough, all of Kuroo’s former playmates and rivals were around him, pleasantly surprised.

 

Taking a peek from above the heads of everyone that was talking to him, Kuroo noticed Tsukishima hanging a bit far, definitely looking his way but not approaching, his expression unreadable. It wasn’t a negative one — Tsukishima was very obvious in his displeasure, and that certainly wasn’t it, but Kuroo couldn’t put his finger on what it truly meant. Couldn’t observe for a long time, either, both because there were lots of people talking to him (and he was eager to chat with all of them, know how they were doing in his absence) and also because Tsukishima eventually turned back and decided to go back to where Karasuno’s manager awaited with the first years and everyone’s bottles of water.

 

There was a glimmer in his eyes that left Kuroo with butterflies in his stomach and hope in his chest, his mind lingering on that for quick exchange of looks for a while. Did he see what he thought he saw, or was he imagining things? And also… did it mean what he _hoped_ it did?

 

A sharp jab to his ribs by Kenma got his attention back to earth, thankfully. Kuroo would’ve felt like the biggest asshole if he completely ignored his older team, especially when Taketora looked like he was about to cry.  

 

Before he realized it, there was a spare training t-shirt on his hands, Nekomata was patting his back in the direction of the court and a bunch of eager first years waited to see how he’d do on the court with them. And that was an invite Kuroo could never refuse, even if it was a single match. He couldn’t interfere in the new team’s training all that much.  

 

— —

 

The afternoon went without notice and soon Kuroo found himself meddling on extra practice, finding the same enthusiastic players that accompanied him the year before at the gym, long after everyone else went to dinner. Lev and Hinata found a way to drag both their teams’ first years into their insane training, filling the court with excited screaming and the erratic, violent sound of spiking balls to the ground.

 

That was definitely not how Kuroo expected to spend his day, especially because he found himself at Shinzen High nearing 11 pm, sweaty and exhausted. Content, but definitely too sore to walk to the nearest subway station. He was lucky that not only his dad wasn’t flipping out on his texts (bless his patience), but that the coaches offered him a futon and a clean towel to clean himself. His old teammates were also kind enough to offer him some clean clothes, unwillingly pulling at his heartstrings.

 

 _He just wished he had the opportunity to speak to Tsukishima,_ Kuroo thought to himself while showering, a fluttering heart and strong feelings boiling on his chest.

 

Kuroo saw him all day, on the court, all long elegant limbs blocking other people’s spikes, sneering at the opponents and discreetly celebrating to himself when he did. He was playing so much better, looking great even on a sweaty t-shirt. Out of the court, Kuroo noticed Tsukishima glancing at him from time to time, intertwining his fingers and looking away when noticed, walking the other way on corridors and finding flimsy excuses to talk to other people. Tsukishima was right there, staring like he wanted to say something but refusing to let Kuroo to get near.

 

Resigned with having to deal with those feelings for however long they decided to stay, Kuroo decided to go walk around. He wasn’t sleepy, mind in full activity, and the inside of the building was oppressively warm even the heat wave outside seemed more welcoming. Getting a cold drink from a vending machine didn’t sound bad, either, so he’d look for one.

 

When he found a vending machine on one of the semi open corridors of Shinzen High, he also noticed the very tip of someone’s feet peeking from behind the vending machine and heard a familiar voice humming to a song Kuroo didn’t quite recognize. How… _convenient._ He half expected his mind to be playing tricks on him.

 

“Always thought you’d be the type to sleep early,” Kuroo lightly tapped on the vending machine’s glass to get Tsukishima’s attention, accidentally startling him, who looked up at Kuroo in a fast, almost unnatural motion. “Shit, I’m sorry,” Kuroo immediately raised his hands apologetically. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

 

“It’s you,” Tsukishima said in return, looking back at his phone, with a much softer face of annoyance than expected. “Don’t you have to leave?”

 

“Nah, the coaches let me stay,”  Kuroo swiftly got more coins on his wallet and placed all of them in the money slot, getting two bottles of tea. Then, he sat next to Tsukishima, keeping a little more space in between them than he’d like. “They think I’m too young to leave alone this late.”

 

“You act juvenile enough for you to be mistaken for a first year,” Tsukishima spoke with a lot of bite, but he smiled to himself as he did, discreetly taking out one earbud.

 

“Ouch, why do you have to attack me like this?” Kuroo dramatically clutched his chest, earning a soft chuckle in response, that softened whatever part of him that actually got hurt by that comment. “I buy you drinks, teach you how to block, and this is how you thank me…”

 

“‘Buy you dr-’” Tsukishima’s tone went from mocking to surprised as he finally noticed the drink being offered to him, stopping mid sentence. “You didn’t have to.” Tsukishima said in a quieter tone, getting the bottle in his hands nonetheless.

 

“I wanted to.”

 

“Then why do you expect me to be grateful about it?”

 

“Uhh…”

 

The sound of cicadas filled the corridor in the absence of spoken words, leaving Kuroo with a racing heart and words stuck on his throat once again. Talking to Tsukishima was always a challenge, with all his boundaries and apathetic demeanor, especially since all Kuroo wants to do is pour out all he had been holding up since last summer camp. Not that he had any plans to act on it at that moment, specifically — past midnight, after a whole day spent playing volleyball, when he felt like his muscles weighed a ton. But he didn’t see any other opportunity he’d get at doing that and it was best to take it, even if he had to walk home with a broken heart the next day.

 

“Do I need a reason to do something for someone I like?”

 

He forced the words out, too strong to be forced back into his beating heart, even after chugging the whole bottle of tea. Tsukishima stared at him again, mouth agape with his bottle sitting on his lower lip, like a deer caught in headlights. Behind the terrified look, there was something that looked like hope in his eyes, but Kuroo didn’t get an opportunity to fully process that before Tsukishima pointedly looked the other way with a mighty frown.

 

“Why do you even care? You barely know me,” he grunted and chewed at his lip, looking sour as he stared at his own feet, knees glued to his chest. “I don’t get it.”

 

“You’re really fishing for some compliments there, aren’t you?” Kuroo chuckled, playing around with his bottle cap. “You’re not a despicable gremlin, even when you try to be.”

 

Tsukishima tched at him, reaching for his headphones, and Kuroo had to resist the urge to slap himself. That wasn’t how he hoped that conversation would go, even if he didn’t see a much better outcome. Kuroo hoped he could save himself by clarifying.

 

“You don’t have to get it,” Kuroo heaved a heavy, longing sigh, putting his elbows on his knees to support his weight, no longer comfortable with how he sat before. Besides, it was easier to get up and run when sitting this way, because, even if the words themselves weren’t particularly romantic, they meant way too much, and getting more backlash for them would definitely hurt. “I like you and… there’s not a lot to explain here. You just have to accept that I do. Or… don’t. You can always not accept it, too.”

 

Kuroo felt pathetic as he checked Tsukishima from over his shoulder, feeling his heartbeat against his eardrums as he waited for a reaction. They were closer than he initially thought, one knee against the cold surface of the vending machine and one barely touching Tsukishima’s leg, and that definitely intensified the blush creeping up his neck. Getting to university meant nothing maturity-wise, apparently. Tsukishima’s face lit up shortly after, pink across the cheeks and the top of his ears against the white light coming from his phone upon realizing what was going on, but he didn’t look away. He stayed there, chewing on his lower lip and fidgeting with his phone as he stared Kuroo back, looking like he was waiting for something.

 

Saying they met halfway was an overstatement, considering Tsukishima barely moved, but he definitely kissed him back when Kuroo shifted in place and pressed his lips against his, ignoring the coldness from the tea they just had.

 

The distant sound of steps and conversation got Kuroo backing up in a hurry, hitting his head against the vending machine.

 

“I’m not sure what’s more astonishing,” Tsukishima started after a few seconds of looking at each other in complete silent, still lingering in each other’s personal space, a soft expression and a light chuckle in his voice. “That you really just did… _that,_ or how hard you failed at being discreet.”

 

“Why do you have to be so _rude,_ Tsukki?” Kuroo wanted to pout but smiled even more, resting his head on Tsukishima’s shoulder as he fell into a fit of giggles.

 

“Don’t call me that,” he tried to push Kuroo away but his arm didn’t do any force, soft, almost silent laughter shaking his body. Kuroo was so filled with joy that he was convinced that, if fairies existed, one would’ve been born that very moment.  

 

“Can I call you on weekends, though? Like, on your phone?”

 

“You’re _so lame_... I pity you.”

 

“Is that a ‘yes’?”

 

“... Yes.”

 

Tsukishima quickly typed his number on Kuroo’s phone, under the strict conditions that he wouldn’t call him early in the mornings. It’d wake him up and guaranteedly make him block Kuroo’s number in response. Kuroo caught a glimpse at Tsukishima’s music on his phone before Tsukishima closed the app to hand him the phone to get Kuroo’s number saved. He thought about asking Tsukishima what he was listening to, but he didn’t have the courage to do so, yet.

 

They left the vending machine after a few more seconds of comfortable silence, heartbeats easing in their chests and exhaustion setting in their muscles, until Tsukishima got up first, saying he was going to sleep. He offered Kuroo his hand to help him get up and held it for a while, staring at their hands like that, hesitantly pulling away and walking the other way before Kuroo could offer to accompany him to Karasuno’s assigned room.

 

In the morning, when he passed by the school’s dinner to wave goodbye at everyone, Tsukishima waved back, with what one could consider a smile, and Kuroo had to hug himself when he was out of sight.

 

“There’s something weird about you, Stingyshima,” he heard Hinata say, which was nothing surprising, considering he had been crowned the loudest player in the camp, not having to compete with Bokuto anymore. “You seem… happy. It’s eerie. What are you thinking about? Huh?”

 

“Stop bothering him, dumbass. He might get all stuck up again.” Someone replies, presumably Karasuno’s setter. Kuroo couldn’t remember his name.

 

“Tsukki’s happy because-” A third voice cheerfully chimed in.

 

“Shut up and eat, all of you, for fuck’s sake. _Especially_ you, Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima blurted out, voice cracking the slightest.

 

“Sorry, Tsukki…”

 

That was all he could hear from the corridor and all he needed to know, really. Creeping on people’s conversations wasn’t something Kuroo was proud to admit he did, so he left right away.

 

— —  

 

Chatting with Tsukishima through the phone was as hard as it was in person, Kuroo would find out soon enough. Not that his behavior was any different than expected — despite Kuroo’s insistence that he didn’t need to be that polite to him, Tsukishima typed with impeccable writing and proper use of honorifics, even in the dead of the night; and he was also just as cynical as in real life, but that was expected. Kuroo signed up for that, fell for who he was and wouldn’t change it. What he didn’t predict was that Tsukishima, despite spending most of his free awake time listening to music, wasn’t particularly in touch with his phone and would take hours to reply any simple text.

 

Granted, Kuroo asked to _call him_ and not _text him_ and Tsukishima was certainly the type to take that word by word just for the sake of being a smartass. But a better, less annoying answer to that was that Tsukishima did a lot of other stuff during the day and couldn’t really pay attention to his texts — he had classes, tests to study for and, of course, volleyball practice. So he only checked his phone in between classes and when he got home. Which, by all means, was the right thing to do. Being a good student requires a lot of dedication, Kuroo could understand that, even though it often left him heaving sigh after sigh all day, wondering when he’d get a reply.

 

Another thing that struck him as a surprise was that Tsukishima prefered the voice calls, often interrupting Kuroo’s typing with an incoming call. That was usually when they texted during the night.

 

“Typing takes too much effort,” Tsukishima claimed when Kuroo decided to ask. “And I have other stuff to do.”

 

“Fair enough,” Kuroo shrugged to himself, catching a glimpse of his own dopey smile on the mirror when he started spinning on his chair. Tsukishima groaned on the other side. “It’s not like I’m complaining about it, I like hearing you.”

 

“Shut up,” there it was, that I’m-embarrassed-voice crack. Tsukishima expressed his feelings best when he didn’t talk about them at all. “I’m doing homework.”

 

“Do you need help?”

 

“Not really. Just… don’t pester me.”

 

“Alright. So…”

 

And so, Kuroo proceeded to talk about his day while Tsukishima scribbled on his papers, mumbling with soft content from time to time to acknowledge what he was saying.

 

Sometimes, he was pretty sure Tsukishima wasn’t even paying any attention to what he was saying, which probably would bother some people. He could see any of the other Karasuno guys being annoyed by that. But Kuroo didn’t get bothered by this any often. Most of his conversations with Kenma go the same way.

 

Not to mention that, even when Tsukishima insisted in pretending to despise him, Kuroo knew Tsukishima would end a phone call with no warning if he was actually bothering him, so the silence was comfortable, welcome.

 

During the weekends, they’d have more fully fleshed, honest conversations, not having as much to do. It also allowed for late night conversations, when Tsukishima was too sleepy to be a smartass and didn’t make the effort to keep pretending he hated Kuroo, being the softest he ever was — or at least, the softest he could be. Tsukishima still had some emotional walls he had to work on, and that was ok. He was still growing, in all the word’s meanings. And just the fact that he was trying meant a lot to Kuroo.

 

In all situations, there was a lot of silence and background noises from their homes, but it kinda felt like they were in the same room, which was always much appreciated.

 

(It would be even better if they were, in fact, on the same room, but those were plans for the future.)

 

Through these conversations on the phone, what they had between each other developed to be what most would call a long distance relationship, even though they never explicitly said it to each other.

 

It didn’t take long for Kuroo started picking up on the fact that Tsukishima really liked music. Not that it took a genius to figure that out: he only took his headphones off for practice, since volleyball wasn't the best for wearing it. But also, Tsukishima hums a lot, and not only as a short reply to anything Kuroo said. He was often absentmindedly humming to himself or singing something on a whisper, barely hearable, but definitely there.

 

But even knowing that, Kuroo had no idea what kind of songs Tsukishima liked. It never occurred to him to ask, and Tsukishima was particularly shy about declaring his interests. He was shy about many things. Shier than Kuroo would’ve ever guessed from his rapid fire answers and constant mean comments, but getting to know new things about Tsukishima’s personality was a delight and an honor. And like other aspects of his personality, Kuroo took it as a challenge to figure out his boyfriend’s taste in music.

 

So, he started sharing his favorite songs with Tsukishima, alongside the usual memes and the cute pictures of lizards he liked so much, in an effort to see what he’d like or not.

 

(Sometimes, it was just to get a rise out of him, which was also good fun.)

 

“Why are you sending me this?” Tsukishima called one day after Kuroo sent him what he knew was a terrible song, wheezing maniacally.

 

“Oh, you know, I thought you’d appreciate it,” Kuroo replied with a giggle stuck in his throat.

 

“Bullshit you thought I’d like _that._ It’s garbage. Which dumpster did you find this in?”

 

“I know, it’s awful,” he laughed out, remembering the terrible music video. “Bokuto sent this to me. The screaming cowboy always gets me.”

 

“ _Of course_ it was Bokuto who sent you this, it really suits him.”

 

“Tsukki, that’s so mean.”

 

“It’s only hurtful if he hears it, though.”

 

“I’m gonna tell your mom about this!”

 

“Oh no, the horror!”

 

— —

 

After months of hard work, Kuroo got together the bits and pieces of what he supposed was Tsukishima’s music taste and created him a playlist — a homemade CD, to be precise. Granted, it was a brand new playlist, with songs he had never shown to Tsukishima so it wouldn’t ruin the surprise, so it was mostly a wild guess. But it was a wild guess that came from his heart and he hoped Tsukishima would appreciate it.

 

Especially because he meant to give it to Tsukishima as a late christmas gift. A homemade CD wasn’t much, considering there was only so much a broke college student could do (especially since Kuroo had yet to tell his dad about this whole dating situation) and it was way late, considering they were to meet when Karasuno came to Tokyo for the nationals again. Hopefully, Tsukishima wouldn’t be mad about it.

 

Kuroo arrived late at the stadium, having no time to go watch the matches during the day, and probably wouldn’t have made it to the locker room in time if he didn’t spot Karasuno’s tiny manager in a distance, talking to who presumably were some of the first year starters.

 

“Oh, hey! _Hey!”_ Kuroo waved at her, speeding up a bit to catch them before they poofed out of his sight.

 

“Oh, hi, Kuroo-san,” the girl waved at him with a polite smile, even though her whole complexion looked puzzled by his approach. “Do… Do you need something?”

 

“Actually, yeah,” Kuroo couldn’t help but scratch the back of his head, his heart picking up and jumping to his throat when he asked: “Can you ask Tsukishima to come talk to me? I have to… Ask him something.”

 

All three Karasuno players stared at him with besmused expressions, until the manager seemed to understand what was going, much more perceptive than the other boys, and smiled at him as she stepped back.

 

“Sure, I’ll go get him!”

 

All of the boys followed her into the locker room, giving Kuroo some weird, somewhat suspicious looks over their shoulder. A part of him wanted to laugh, because it felt like they were judging him for wanting to talk to Tsukishima, which he could only attribute to Tsukishima probably terrorizing the poor first years. But Kuroo only stood there, fidgeting with the gift behind his back, shifting from one foot to the other while he waited.

 

Eventually, Tsukishima showed up, hair still damp and smelling of fruity shampoo, all cozy under a thick layer of clothes. He looked so cute, Kuroo almost forgot what he was there for, staring for long seconds before noticing Tsukishima raising his eyebrows.

 

 _“Hi,”_ he said with a heartfelt sigh. “Sorry for not making it in time to see you play, I was stuck home helping my dad. How was the game?”

 

“It’s fine.” Tsukishima’s face softened, though he still looked curious. “It was tough, but we won.”

 

“That’s good! You guys have been playing well,” Kuroo almost opened his arms to hug him, but quickly remembered about his gift and stopped mid-motion. Tsukishima raised him an eyebrow again.

 

“What are you hiding behind your back?” Kuroo opened his mouth to try and say something, but shut it right after. Tsukishima snickered at that. “You’re not very discreet, you know? I know you have something on your hands, Kuroo. Yachi saw it.”

 

_God damn it._

 

“Alright, alright,” he finally brought his hands in front of him, showing him the CD, giddy with anticipation. “Merry Christmas, Tsukki.”

 

A wave of embarrassment washed over him all of a sudden. Tsukishima just stared at the transparent case and his homemade CD, regretting the doodles he made on it to give it a more romantic vibe. It looked like a child’s drawings, Kuroo knew, and already expected Tsukishima to laugh at his face about it.

 

“I know it’s kinda cheesy, and… stupid… But I know you like music, so I thought you’d like this. I tried to-”

 

Instead, Tsukishima carefully took it from his hands, fingers brushing against his, and brought it closer to his face, staring at the CD with the softest look Kuroo has ever seen on him.

 

“You know spotify exists, right?” Tsukishima’s voice wavered with what one would consider a giggle, raising his eyes to Kuroo and smiling at him. It took Kuroo a lot of effort to not melt into a puddle. “You didn’t need to record it and give it to me in a plastic cover.”

 

“I just wanted to.”

 

They both stood there for a while, staring at each other with silly smiles and infatuated looks, giggles slowly wearing out until they were completely silent. Kuroo was satisfied with that, happy that it made Tsukishima happy, but then Tsukishima came closer, pressing his cheek to Kuroo’s.

 

“Thanks.” he mumbled in Kuroo’s ear, and Kuroo could feel Tsukishima’s cheek getting warmer against his. “I’ll listen to it when I’m home.”

 

“Okay,” Kuroo tentatively hugged him, planting a kiss on Tsukishima’s shoulder and closing his eyes for a second.

 

Tsukishima didn’t allow them to stay like there for too long, giving a few steps back and claiming he had to go back to the locker room before his team noticed his absence. It broke Kuroo’s heart, sure, but he only nodded and watched him go, already missing him.

 

Two days later, Kuroo got a text from Tsukishima regarding his playlist.

 

_I can’t believe you added a Big Time Rush song to it. You’re terrible_

**Author's Note:**

> the aforementioned playlist can be found on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4rgaBgi1wAfnx9k1q4iwEV)
> 
> if you'd like, follow [me](https://twitter.com/kenmagoesblep) and [gio](https://twitter.com/artthetrash) on twitter!!! comments would be very appreciated!


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